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The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded two launches to Isar Aerospace, giving a further boost to the German rocket startup, while also announcing an agreement with Avio for three Vega-C missions.
The two contracts are part of the so-called Flight Ticket Initiative, which also has backing from the European Commission to test new systems in space, ESA said Aug. 27.
The Isar Aerospace deal is for two launches of the Spectrum rocket from the Andoya Spaceport in Norway. The company will launch Infinite Orbits’ “Tom & Jerry” mission—which involves two satellites to demonstrate close-proximity operations—and the “Cassini” mission for ISISpace, which will see the deployment of three cubesats.
The launches are planned from 2026 on, Isar Aerospace said, adding that the contracts are the first launch agreements between a privately funded European launch service provider and European institutions.
The contract adds to ESA’s support for Isar Aerospace. The agency provided early backing to the company and in July selected it as one of five winners in the European launcher challenge.
Isar Aerospace has yet to demonstrate the ability of Spectrum to deploy a spacecraft. The company in March attempted the first launch of the vehicle, which cleared the launchpad but suffered a flight anomaly and fell into the sea.
The Avio contract covers the launch of three auxiliary satellites. One spacecraft is due to be provided by Persei, a Spanish company, aiming to demonstrate a 1-km (3,280-ft.) aluminum tether to generate a Lorenz drag to deorbit a satellite without burning fuel. German aerospace center DLR plans to fly a new avionics system known as the Pluto+ cubesat, while French company Grasp would fly a second Earth-observation satellite known as GapMap-1. The first mission was a demonstrator system launched two years ago.
ESA last year said it also had signed Flight Ticket Initiative agreements with Arianespace, PLD Space, Orbex and Rocket Factory Augsburg. Under all these agreements, launch service providers can compete for specific work under a co-funding arrangement.
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